Trusting The Team
by compy chompy
Summary: What if things at the ranch went differently?  Takes place during episode 3x24 "Strawberries and Cream". AU.


**Spoilers to episode 3x24 "Strawberries and Cream".  
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**Disclaimer- They are like little action figures I do not own, but have the incisive need to play with. CBS owns them. Mr. Heller made them. No money is, was, or ever will be made from this.**

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><p>The murder of crows sang their song and a chill ran down Grace's back. Every instinct told her there was something wrong. Something very wrong.<p>

A faint pop echoed through the air. She knew that sound, but her mind couldn't quite place it. It set off an alarm in her brain, a red flag. Maybe it was the case, Jane's paranoia was beginning to spread. Grace drew her gun, erring on the side of caution.

She swept the area from left to right. Her hands shook slightly as adrenaline pumped through her veins. There was a noise to her left, she took aim, and peered over the bushes.

"Come out slowly! I'm an armed CBI agent," she said in the most authoritative voice she could muster.

A pair of beady eyes peeked from the bushes. She jumped back, almost pulling the trigger. The opossum glanced at her, hissed, then disappeared into the brush.

"Oh geez!" Grace let out the breath she was holding and laughed. She was working herself over nothing. Craig was here. Lisbon and Hightower were close by. There were two deputies at the gate. It was broad daylight. The ranch was gated, and surrounded by ten foot stucco walls.

She shook her head and re-holstered her weapon. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the display. It was Rigsby again.

"Hey Wayne, how's it going at the mall...?"

"Grace! Oh, thank god, where's O'Laughlin..."

"He went to the car to get his phone."

"O'Laughlin is the mole! Jane was wrong. The assassin had a rope and was going to climb down to room 505."

"Did Jane or Cho put you up to this? I know watching surveillance cameras can be boring..." Grace turned and walked towards the gate.

"Grace, 505!" Rigsby tried to warn.

"Grace, where are you going?" Craig jogged up to her and grabbed her by the waist. He swung her around and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

"I thought I heard something. I was just checking it out," Grace leaned into his shoulder, nuzzling his neck, after she pressed end on the phone.

Craig couldn't be the mole.

Rigsby had to be yanking her chain, though it wasn't in his nature to be animus.

She also knew Craig. He was a good man. The man she wanted to be with in sickness and in health, till death do them part.

"Who was that?" Craig asked interrupting her train of thought.

"Rigsby."

"What did he want?"

Grace knew Rigsby wouldn't intentionally hurt her, but that accusation hurt. In a few days she would make a vow to Craig, to honor and cherish.

"Just checking in," she said. Grace decided she was going to call him back, get to the bottom of this. "Why don't you head up to the house? I need to check my messages and it's so nice out here. I've been cooped up in the office all day and want to spend a bit more time outside."

"Sure," Craig smiled.

She planted another kiss on his lips and stared into his eyes. A feeling of uneasiness washed over her. She reached for her weapon, but it was too late.

Craig knocked her to the ground and fired one shot into her midsection. Her weapon and phone bounced a few feet from her.

"Craig why?"

"I'm sorry, but it was fun. It's nothing personal. This is just what needs to be done."

He raised the pistol and fired once more.

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><p>It was stupid of him to do it, but he couldn't help himself. He saw the looks Rigsby gave her when he thought no one was looking.<p>

She was his, like Dumar had Maya, but it wasn't meant to be. And he was willing to let her go.

O'Laughlin picked up Grace's phone and snapped a picture the downed agent and hit send.

Red John mentioned that the major case unit was now becoming more of a nuisance. Craig was going to take the initiative.

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><p>"Hey Craig," Lisbon smiled and partially opened the door with the phone in her hand. "Where's Grace?"<p>

"Teresa. How are you? Grace went to the car to retrieve her phone."

"Why don't you come in?" Lisbon opened the door all the way. She brought up her service piece in her other hand and aimed it towards him. "Sit for a minute. We need to chat."

Craig broke left, and pulled out his gun. He fired two shots towards Lisbon. O'Laughlin's two shots flew wide one shatter the foyer window, the other lodged itself somewhere behind Lisbon.

Lisbon fired, missed, then ducked behind the door.

O'Laughlin hopped over the railing and made a break for the tree line. Lisbon fired again, hitting him once. She lost sight of him in the trees.

"I'm going after him," Lisbon yelled to Hightower, who was barreling down the stairs a gun in her hand. "Call for backup."

"I'm staying with the kids."

"I understand."

Lisbon took off out the door. She had lost sight of O'Laughlin, but found Van Pelt laying further down the path.

"Grace!" Lisbon reached down trying to find a pulse. There was none and she started CPR.

"Boss!" Cho ran up the path. He took over doing compressions.

"Where are the deputies?" Lisbon said between breaths.

"Dead. Head shots."

"And Rigsby?"

"Jumped out of the truck when we got here, thought he caught sight of O'Laughlin. I tried to stop him. O'Laughlin sent him pictures of Grace, he went ballistic in the car. Good thing I was driving. O'Laughlin kept texting him from Grace's phone," Cho said. "I got a pulse. We need to slow the bleeding."

"Where's that ambulance and backup," Lisbon applied pressure to Grace's wound. This whole operation was spiraling out of control.

"Should be here shortly."

"Where's Jane?"

"At the mall. Left him with Bertram."

"At least he'll be safe there," Lisbon shook her head. "I can't believe Craig is the mole."

"I know. I would have put money down it was Brenda. "

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><p>"O'Laughlin!" Rigsby bellowed through the woods.<p>

He gave chase, feet pounding through gravel, dirt, and peat. Rigsby skidded to a stop. A tree branch next to him exploded with a loud pop, sending splinters flying in different directions. He ducked behind a sequoia and let off a string of angry curses.

The rushing stream nearby was making it hard for him to pinpoint Craig's position. And O'Laughlin had a suppressor on his weapon.

Rigsby poked his head out. A bullet whizzed by his face, grazing his cheek. He pulled back pressing himself against the tree. He returned fire and waited, planing his next move. His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Grace. It read-

'Did you like the picture?'

"I'm going to kill you," Rigsby yelled back, after shoving his phone into his pocket. He peeked though a bush next to the tree he was using as cover.

O'Laughlin was hiding behind a rock trying to reload his weapon.

Rigsby holstered his gun and crept forward, slinking behind rocks and trees. He finally made it close enough. Wayne tackled him from the left. The two men went crashed into the ground.

O'Laughlin was dazed. He landed on his shoulder. A sharp pain went shooting down his arm. It was the same shoulder that Lisbon had tagged earlier.

Rigsby grabbed O'Laughlin by the neck, putting him in a choke hold. O'Laughlin turned beet red as Rigsby threw a few quick jabs, then slammed him into the ground the ground face first. The FBI agent's head bounced from the force then lulled to the side.

"Get up," Rigsby provoked as he rose to his feet

Craig staggered to a standing position after a few minutes.

Rigsby charged, slamming him into a nearby tree. O'Laughlin fell to the ground and Rigsby shouted, "Get up!"

Craig stumbled, trying to get to his feet. He grabbed the sequoia for support, but in the end wound up sliding down against trunk to the ground a few inches from his gun.

"Pick it up," Rigsby drew his weapon.

"No, I'm good," Craig said. He knew the gun was empty and would be of little use. The other clip he had fell out of his pocket while he was trying to get away from Lisbon.

"Pick it up," Rigsby fire a shot towards O'Laughlin.

Craig laced his hands behind his head. "I surrender."

"You don't get to surrender," Rigsby fired another shot. This one landed closer to Craig.

"Really burns you that she chose me instead of you, huh? The last thing she saw was me standing over her as I pulled the trigger. The look of betrayal from someone she trusted wholeheartedly..."

Rigsby fired another shot. This one grazing Craig's thigh. Craig jumped but stayed in his spot.

"Come on just do it. Be a man. I just killed the woman you love."

Cho came up on Rigsby's left with his gun drawn. "Don't."

"I'm a dead man anyway. Red John doesn't tolerate failure," O'Laughlin said.

"We'll give you protection for your cooperation," Cho said.

"Yeah, you'll protect me like you protected Johnson?" O'Laughlin laughed. "You liked that picture, Rigsby? Right before I shot her, I planted a kiss on those soft supple lips."

"Don't do it. He's not worth it. " Cho grabbed Rigsby's arm. "He's going to prison for a long time. We resuscitated her, she's on her way to the hospital."

"You're nothing but a coward," Craig spat.

Cho cuffed O'Laughlin and pulled him to his feet.

Rigsby's phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Jane. "We got him Jane, but he shot Grace. What? Okay."

Rigsby reached into O'Laughlin's pocket, fished out his phone. After Cho led O'Laughlin away, Rigsby hit redial.

"O'Laughlin's dead..."

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><p><strong>The End.<strong>

**I would have like to see Rigsby kick O'Laughlin's ass.**


End file.
